Jesus With an Erection

[momo8]

Christian sues gallery over 'blasphemous' erection

• Wednesday September 3 2008

The sculpture of Christ with an erection, part of the Gone, Yet Still installation by artist Terence Koh.




Representatives for a gallery in Gateshead appeared in court yesterday charged with outraging public decency, after featuring a statue of Jesus with an erection.
The artwork was part of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art's September 2007-January 2008 exhibition Gone, Yet Still, by the controversial Chinese artist Terence Koh, which featured dozens of plaster figures including Mickey Mouse and ET - all in some state of arousal.


Lawyers for Emily Mapfuwa, a 40-year-old Christian who was offended by the artwork, launched a private prosecution against the gallery for outraging public decency and causing harassment, alarm and distress to the public. Mapfuwa, of Brentwood, Essex, argues the Baltic would not have dared depict the prophet Muhammad in such a way.


She complained in writing to Northumbria police earlier this year, asking for an investigation, and was informed in May that there was no case to answer.
But the Christian Legal Centre - an organisation that aims to "promote and protect the biblical freedoms of Christian believers in the United Kingdom" - agreed to pay her legal costs. The CLC also funded the case brought by Stephen Green against the BBC over Jerry Springer - The Opera. A CLC spokesman said Mapfuwa believed in freedom of expression, but "this statue served no other purpose than to offend Christians and to denigrate Christ".


At Gateshead magistrates court yesterday, a solicitor for The Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust, the charitable body which runs the Baltic, indicated a plea of not guilty. The case was adjourned until September 23. Mapfuwa intends to cite a case from 1990 in which an artist and shop owner in London were convicted of outraging public decency over showing a sculpture made of foetuses.

Christian sues gallery for featuring statue of Jesus with an erection | World news | The Guardian

Maybe the art work depicting Jesus with an erection is in bad taste, but I would find it more offensive to see Mickey Mouse with an erection. That Chinese artist has certainly stirred up some controvesy, just think what would happen if Mohammed was part of the exhibit. It's discrimination, why have Jesus and not mohammed or Buddah?

[peterpan]

I think its disgraceful,
1.why is his dick done by his knees ?
2. Its way bigger than mine

[Topper]

Momo...is Chairman Mao starting more new threads than you? Getting jealous?

[Loy Toy]

I hope this doesn't end up in MKPWBE

Lets await the response

[Loy Toy]

Might use this as my new avatar?

Ok with you Momo?

[jandajoy]

I really don't care what people do in the way of "ART", or what is so loosely defined as art nowadays, but, that is shit.

I've no religous committments one way or another but some halfwit chink comes up with brilliant idea od sticking dicks on icons in the name of "art"? Bollocks.

Regardles of wether it's religously offensive or not it's a blatant attempt to create contoversy and, by deafault media coverage. Does that make it "Art"?

[jandajoy]

Art = Media Coverage + Controversy = Media Coverage = Art. ?

[momo8]

''Jesus with an erection. It is going to raise a few eyebrows. But portraying Jesus as a sexual being is a justified statement to make. So this artist has a right to do it.

And the Christian woman's objection to the statue, on religious grounds, is expected but was rightfully dismissed by the police. People should be grown up enough about their religion, happy enough in their own belief in it, to be able to take other points of view on it.

However, her point that if it had been Muhammad things would be different, is a valid one.

Jesus with an erection = mild unrest. Muhammad with an erection = nuclear war.

Their is a real fear of the Muslim faith in this country and she is right to say that a statue of Muhammed in a state of arousal would never have seen the light of day, or if it had their would have been effigies of the artist burning from Bombay to Birmingham, the streets would be full of Muslim protesters and the gallery would probably get suicide bombed. Meanwhile, UK politicians would have been chastising everything and everyone, saying how bad we are and how freedom of expression can only go so far. The fallout would be epic. Hypocrisy would reign.

It may say something about the difference in strength of belief of Christians and Muslims, it may highlight a difference in belief structure (the importance of the purity of the prophet's image) or it may just be a cultural difference. The fact remains, though, that in this country someone should be able to challenge the accepted explanation of a subject. That is how a democracy works. So while the lady's protests should be ignored in terms of the statue, her point about the difference in treatment of religion should not be. If someone did choose to exhibit a statue of Muhammad aroused, then it should be treated in exactly the same way as this has been. Protests should be ignored. ''

This is an interesting comment from the article.Some valid points being made about the portrayal of Jesus as a 'human'.

Momo...is Chairman Mao starting more new threads than you? Getting jealous?

I am Mao, thought I would switch to my momo nik

The statue would make a good fountain, had a similar one of a cherub in Oz with the water coming out of its....

[jandajoy]

^Farto confusing.

Are you drunk or stoned?

You're spouting twaddle.

[momo8]

If you are easily confused JJ. I do think it would make a nice fountain.

[jandajoy]

Oh thank God for that. I am easily confused and it's a relief to know it's confusing.

Phew, a close shave there.

[momo8]

^ Note the usage of '' quotation marks in the post.

[jandajoy]

^ Note the usage of '' quotation marks in the post.

Errr yes, one quote mark at the beginning. Very good. If you read further chapters of, for example, "Thomson & Martinet, Practical English Grammar", you'll see that a second quotation mark, after the first, generally at the end of the quotation, strangely enough, means something.

One solitary quotation mark doesn't really mean much, other than the fact that .....yes, well.

[keda]

As pp said, too low for an election.

[Loy Toy]

^ Quite possibly JC has nobby knees, or one bigger than the other!

[pompeybloke]

It's not art. Religion sucks, but this is just provocative ill-respect. Cowardly in a way, as he wouldn't dare slur Islam in the same way, for reasons mentioned. Chinese twat!

[jandajoy]

^ At the same time I suppose tha it's good that he can do it as it demonstrates the freedoms of the UK versus those elsewhere. But it's still shit.

[pompeybloke]

^Agreed. Demonstrates tolerance, but it's well crap. Chink git.

[jandajoy]

Fear not though, the media coverage will make it a big seller. TWATS.

[Dalton]

It's freedom to express your self, isn't that what we want to have ??

[Missismiggins]

Have you ever been to Gateshead? It is a strange place (lived there for a while) I don't think they believe in god there! (Certainly god never did anything for them)
I thought the statue was quite interesting, shows Jesus as a "hung guy!" LOL

[The Gentleman Scamp]

And the Christian woman's objection to the statue, on religious grounds, is expected but was rightfully dismissed by the police. People should be grown up enough about their religion, happy enough in their own belief in it, to be able to take other points of view on it.

Well said, in fact I am offended and significantly unsettled by fanatical christians and muslims but do I have any power to take them to court?

[Rattanaburi]

If Jesus must have an erection now that everyone praises him. He could have been a hermaphrodite. He probably looked something like the fat hairy Jewish pornostar Ron Jeremy...

[Looper]

It's not Jesus having a bigger knob than me that is annoying. It is the transparent attention seeking by an 'artist' making a feeble and obvious attempt at finding the lowest common denominator shock factor by targeting religion.... far too easy a target.

Also, relying mainly on causing offence, as this piece seems to do, is the hallmark of the talentless when it comes to art IMHO.

I bet the gutless tosser wouldn't even have the balls to do the same thing with the Prophet Muhammad coz he knows he would would be in very real danger of ending up as a grainy video clip on a muslim website as his head got separated from his shoulders by some loony fanatic with a bowie knife.

[Rattanaburi]

Do muslims ever cut of knobs as a form of Islamic punishment? They used to cut off hands and some countries may still do it.